Lancaster Mennonite Turns In Golden Performance, Earns The Right To Compete For State Gold As Blazers Topple Holy Cross To Clinch First-Ever State Championship Berth In Program History

Written by: Andy Herr on March 22, 2023

At last check, the state of Pennsylvania is estimated to have a population of just under 13 million residents residing inside its borders. Beyond that, there are a whopping 715 schools across the commonwealth who field high school boys’ basketball teams. However, even for a state that covers over 46,000 square miles with a population that ranks it the fifth most populous in the union, sometimes all those factors can still somehow make the world feel incredibly small. At least that’s certainly what Holy Cross and Lancaster Mennonite had to be feeling before entering their state semifinal game against one another at Martz Hall on Tuesday night.

You see, even with all of that prior info illustrated about the state and the high school hoops within it pushed to the side for just a moment, the fact of the matter was that both the Crusaders and Blazers not only had their 2021-22 campaigns end in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA-2A state tournament last year, they also saw them conclude not just at the same facility –Bethlehem’s Liberty High School –but also within a span of roughly two hours after losses to Constitution and Old Forge respectively for an added layer of irony. Suffice to say, while the high school basketball world can seem overly sprawling and gargantuan at times, it can also simultaneously make teams develop a bit of shared kinship with one another, albeit while not exactly in the most desirable of circumstances given the way in which both Holy Cross’ and Lancaster Mennonite’s shortcomings ended up concluding their respective journeys inside of last season’s state tourney.

That said, while 130 miles may separate their two campuses from one another in actual reality, both of these two clubs had long appeared to be on a collision course with one another since that unseasonable spring-like evening found in Bethlehem over 365 days ago.

Case in point, while both programs brought with them dazzling 41-14 combined records heading into the quasi “Eastern Final” on this night, both the Blazers and Crusaders had been able to capture their respective home district’s 2A title this postseason with Holy Cross reaping the literal rewards in District 2,  while Mennonite successfully went back-to-back-back against Antietam in capturing the spoils of the District 3 realm for the third straight season, ironically enough at Giant Center. Even still, it also likely helps if the teams which had just knocked you out of states previously are nowhere to be found along your path, such as the case when Mahanoy knocked Constitution out of the dance last week much to the delight of Holy Cross no doubt while Old Forge on the other hand was elevated upward to the 3A ranks which absolved Lancaster Mennonite of their archnemesis found in the previous two state tournaments.  

So, for two teams that had come up a grand total of 14 points shy of advancing onward to this very round last year, just 32 minutes separated one of these worthy combatants from perhaps hoisting state gold come Friday afternoon at Hershey’s Giant Center. However, as it turned out, the drama and hullabaloo would be in short supply on this night. For this would be the night where Lancaster Mennonite would punch their ticket right back to Giant Center with a decisive effort to turn away Holy Cross. This time however, with a much larger prize now waiting there for them to perhaps scoop up on Friday afternoon.  

 Right from the jump in this one, Mennonite wasted little time in getting rolling.

Fittingly, the Blazers’ first haymaker of the evening came in the form of its most prolific tandem, Cam Hurst and David Weaver, as the senior duo helped to make it an early 5-2 lead not even two minutes in after Hurst bombed in a trifecta with Weaver doing his typical dirty work inside not long afterwards. From there though, Mennonite’s All-State guard continued to keep his bad intentions readily in plain sight as Hurst proceeded to sprinkle in another 3-ball before finishing a off a hoop plus the harm which then made it a 12-6 Mennonite advantage with 2:07 still showing on the first quarter clock.  

Needless to say, time was of the essence if Holy Cross had any desires of keeping this one within reach. Fortunately for the team from Dunmore, they were indeed able to rise to the occasion.

For that, the Crusaders turned to the efforts of one Matt Lyons as the 6’5 sophomore forward cashed in on a triple of his own that cut the Mennonite lead down to a much more modest three, 12-9, with nary 90 seconds still to play in the opening stanza.

However, even when they perhaps had started to feel as if they were building a case for themselves, Hurst was there to keep Holy Cross at arm’s length as the slithery 6’2 senior guard was able to punctuate his impeccable first quarter with a bucket right before the horn which sent Lancaster Mennonite into the second quarter with the benefit of owning the 16-9 lead.

In the second, Mennonite’s cushion only continued to grow larger in size and stature.

Sure enough, after a sweet spin move en route to hoop by way of 5’8 freshman guard Chase Hurst which made it a 22-12 Mennonite lead, David Weaver wouldn’t be far behind when it came to giving the Blazers their largest lead of the evening at that point as the 6’7 senior big man’s bucket from point-blank range made it a 24-12 contest with 2:30 to go before the halftime recess.

All told however, it would be a critical two minutes and change in respect to Holy Cross’ chances of mounting a feverish charge.  

And surely not a moment too soon as far as the partisan green-clad crowd had to be concerned, an immediate rebuttal to the Weaver deuce came in the form of a Matt Lyons’ trifecta on the Crusaders’ ensuing trip down the floor offensively before a tough bucket inside tallied by 6’1 senior guard/captain Hayden Hosie had then cut the Blazers’ lead back down to seven at 26-19 with inside of a minute left before the break, a key salvo in which the green and white by way of Scranton metro had rallied their troops.

But they weren’t finished there.

No, especially not when Hosie was able to continue his red-hot finish to the opening half of play as his pullup J sunk mere moments before the halftime horn blared out cut Mennonite’s down to just four, 26-22, a pedestrian difference up on the scoreboard that surely allowed Holy Cross to feel as if they had gotten out of dodge relatively unscathed all things considered given how it felt as if Mennonite had so clearly dictated the terms of engagement throughout the initial 16 minutes.

Yet while Lancaster Mennonite routinely relies on the efforts of Cam Hurst leading the way –something he did yet again in posting a 25-point scoring output in this one – the fact of the matter is that the Blazers are far more than just a one trick pony. And never more was that on display than inside the third quarter on Tuesday night in Pottsville.

Sure enough, in the immediate afterglow of his scintillating all-around performance witnessed on Saturday afternoon against Mahanoy, Savier Sumrall proceeded to pick up right where he had left off against the Golden Bears just a few days earlier as the 5’10 senior guard splashed in a trey to help usher along the second half proceedings, making it a five-point Mennonite bulge once more, 29-24, with 4:35 still to go in the third.

From there though, Holy Cross was never able to truly recover and regain their footing the rest of the evening.

Granted, while a nice flip inside via the handiwork of 5’10 sophomore guard Michael Hughes helped to close the gap back down to four at 30-26 with 3:30 left, another Sumrall back-breaking trey on the Blazers’ ensuing offensive trip help to put things out of reach.

Of course, if Cam Hurst was able to help in that collective effort of turning the lights out once and for all, he would surely oblige.

And as if to be right on cue, Hurst led his calvary on an impromptu 7-2 rally all by his lonesome inside the waning stages of the third quarter as Lancaster Mennonite appeared to be just eight minutes away from their first-ever trip to the state championship given their existing 40-28 lead.

Simply put, those final eight minutes couldn’t have wound down fast enough.

In fact, on the Blazers’ opening offensive possession of the final act no less, Savier Sumrall was able to pour in his immense third triple of the second half –en route to his 9-point effort all told– for a bucket which gave Mennonite their largest lead of the evening at that point with time starting to wind down on a possible Holy Cross comeback bid.

Yet as they had done all game long up until that point, Lancaster Mennonite had no interest whatsoever when it came to allowing Holy Cross to have a flair for the dramatics, especially here heading down the final stretch.

Case in point, while the Crusaders were able to come up with a nice bucket in the form of a strong take to the tin courtesy of Michael Hughes that clipped the Blazers’ buffer down to 11 at 43-32 with 5:30 remaining to be played, an equally impressive take to the cup by the youngest of all Blazers, Chase Hurst, upped the Mennonite lead back to 14 at 48-34 with 2:40 remaining at that time.

And while Holy Cross’ Mario Matrone was able to sink a dead-eye 3-ball inside of the final minute that was nothing but cotton, the eventual outcome that had for much of the evening appeared to be a formality ended up being precisely that. Then, once the final gun ultimately did sound, it fittingly signified the conclusion of a 20-year quest down to the exact day in terms of the Lancaster-Lebanon League making it back to the state finals as Lancaster Mennonite’s 51-40 victory over Holy Cross, a trip that will be the Blazers’ first in program history, perfectly coincided on the same calendar day as to when Lancaster Catholic won their 2003 state title, a team that etched its name into local lore given their unblemished 35-0 overall record that is still the stuff of legend now two decades later.

But make no mistake about it, while the irony of sharing the same date on the calendar as arguably the finest L-L League team to ever do it was nice and all, this was a night that so clearly belonged to Lancaster Mennonite to revel in what they had just accomplished.

“That game? Yeah, kinda,” an unassuming Cam Hurst said afterwards while wearing his black district championship hoodie when asked if he felt as if he and his teammates had authored a performance that was nothing if not resounding in reaching the state title game come Friday afternoon. “We held the lead. We felt in control the whole game playing our game,” Hurst mentioned.

That said, while their dominant win over Holy Cross on Tuesday officially signified Lancaster Mennonite as having punched their ticket into the grand finale against Aliquippa, these are year-long efforts that stack up outside of the public’s view. Days that can be forged during the sweltering heat and humidity that comes with the dog days of summer no less.

“We thought we had the team to do it this year,” said Hurst, the newly-minted all-time leading scorer in program history who surpassed the feat in the win over Holy Cross said of this his final Lancaster Mennonite cast. “Working hard over the summer, playing those big schools, it really helps us in the long run,” he added.

Not to mention, but when you play inside of a conference that is as tight-knit as the L-L League is, it certainly means something when a member of the tribe is the one carrying the league’s flag across the finish line. Rest assured that’s certainly not something lost on somehow who has rightfully elevated himself into the highest of ethers when the discussion revolves around all-time great L-L League players either.

“It’s awesome,” said Hurst of the overall community-backing that comes part in parcel with the L-L at large rooting for its respective member schools to achieve great things once they go off in their separate directions come the postseason. “Having that support, having other teams looking at us, it’s definitely a great feeling.”

As for his head coach, a young man who cut his teeth wearing that same exact high school uniform back in his high school days (okay, maybe not exactly the same given Seth Buckwalter’s 6’5 frame compared to that of his 6’2 senior guard), making it this far is something that he takes with the upmost appreciation and humbleness. Many of the same characteristics his team mirrors in that of their leader.

“When you watch these guys, everyone’s become so steady emotionally,” the Blazers’ head coach of his team as to what has maybe become the secret sauce that has now provided them the opportunity at playing for the program’s first-ever state championship just two days from now. “Cam (Hurst) is steady emotionally, Savier (Sumrall) is steady emotionally. When we have those guys out there, that leadership weathers all that stuff,” Buckwalter continued.

And like his guard who had just mentioned the work that the team had put in over the summer collectively, Seth Buckwalter was admittedly quite candid when it came to offering as to how and why Lancaster Mennonite challenges itself both outside of the season in an intense summer gauntlet that sees the Blazers test themselves in outposts such as Lancaster’s Brandon Park and Allentown’s Cedar Beach to name just a few, but inside of the season as well, such was the case in opening weekend of this 2022-23 campaign where the Blazers, perhaps a modest 2A school on the surface, went up against the likes of behemoths in Chichester and McCaskey to name just a few right out of the chute in Coatesville’s Tip-Off Tournament back in early December.

“My assistant coach Jeff Hartenstine is unbelievable. He schedules a lot of that stuff for us,” said Buckwalter of his top lieutenant who oversees Lancaster Mennonite in respect to how and where they can best challenges itself outside of their own division. “It’s all with the purpose of, ‘Can we get past a Constitution? Can we play against the top team from Pittsburgh? Can we play against teams that are bigger, faster, stronger?’ We’re gonna see that a couple times in league playoffs, but we’re also going to see that in states as well,” Buckwalter continued of the rationale.

“It’s fun,” he then candidly remarked of having the opportunity of overseeing a coaching job that will end in a state championship bid in the final game of the season. “So many things have to go right, you know? Guys are healthy, we’re gelling, and we’re getting better every game,” he added. “So many things happen during the season that make you want to tear your hair out and you just have to trust in the Lord that it’s going to work out for you how it’s supposed to.”

That said, “fun” may not have exactly been the word of choice the last time that Lancaster Mennonite would have found themselves using when trying to describe their feeling in the aftermath of this very same game back in 2018, a state semifinal loss that ended in a halfcourt heave at the final buzzer at hands of Richland’s Tyler Zimmerman. Suffice to say, the complete 180-degree difference in emotion found on this night is understandably hard to properly articulate.

“That was so ridiculously heart-wrenching when that shot went in,” Buckwalter recanted of that fateful Saturday afternoon at Chambersburg High School now six years ago which will never truly be erased from anyone’s collective memory.  “It’s something you dream about and then, poof, everything disappeared. For me, I was an assistant coach, so I can’t imagine how that felt for Coach (Geoff) Groff,” he mentioned of what would end up being the final game of his boss’ legendary 404-win coaching career while pacing the sidelines for the Blazers which ranks him third all-time in terms of L-L League history.

“This just makes you grateful, right?” Buckwalter offered in closing. “We could have lost in the first round to Neumann. It’s a one-point win or else we could’ve been a couple weeks into the offseason right now. So yeah, just really grateful.”

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